Sailing for Freedom, Sailing for Love
by xXWishesxX
Summary: Duchess Elizabeth Hawkeye lives in a high society, mannered world, and hates every minute of it. The day of her forced marriage, her dreams of freedom come true. Royai. Rated T, Full Summary Inside. HIATUS
1. Engaged

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Author's Note:

I'm back! Unbelievably, I've been able to find SOME time to update stories and etc. **This** is a new story –duh- and weirdly, I got this idea while watching Family Guy.

I **know** I'm supposed to update **Thirst for Blood** & **Boxed In**, and I will. At least for **TFB** I will. **Boxed In** will be on hold for a bit until I've finished **TFB** and this story. I'm having a big problem with writer's block with **Boxed In** so it'll be on hold. I APOLOGIZE. Really.

**Summary: **Duchess Elizabeth Hawkeye, A.K.A Riza Hawkeye, lived a life of high expectations and courteous manners. And every minute of it, she hated it. However, dreams of living alive and free from the high society world had been shattered once her father had her arranged to marry Duke Marcus Hallington, a man she dreads.

The day of her wedding, the infamous ship, the Black Crow, and its playboy captain, Roy Mustang, invade the town for money. Coming across the wedding, Mustang spots the beautiful Duchess and whisks her away to his ship, along with Winry, Riza's close friend to make a ransom with Sir Hawkeye for ridiculously amount of money. Disagreeing, Sir Hawkeye sends out his troops and begins his hunt for his daughter, but not out of safety or love, but the secrets on her back.

Riza first stubbornly back sasses Mustang, but soon realizes that this is her chance of freedom, and maybe true love. But before she can even think about love, she has to get through her insane father, Mustang's playboy attitude, and the terrors of the sea.

Enjoy!

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**Preface**

_He knew_.

The young, blonde woman sighed and looked down. Dressed clad in only a white gown, she grimaced at the attire and begrudgingly smoothed down her dress.

_He used her._

She wanted to go back to him, to his raven eyes and warm embrace.

But she couldn't.

_He never loved her._

She blinked back the hot tears threatening to spill over, and pulled her veil over her face. Turning to the door, she pursed her lips as the guards opened the door. Stepping out into the light, she began to walk.

As she walked down the aisle, she could faintly hear the organist playing a song -_their_ song. She gritted her teeth and clutched the bundle of flowers and continued down the walkway and purposely ignored the gasps of surprise from the crowd.

_She hated him._

Standing next to the man she would be married to, she looked down to the bracelet that was given to her by _him_. She briefly heard the priest asking a question, and then clearly heard the man next to her say "I do." She looked up to the priest as he turned to her.

"Elizabeth Hawkeye, do you take Marcus Hallington to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," she said in a robotically, monotone voice.

"Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride to seal the deal.

_Yet, she still loves him._

**Chapter 1: Engaged**

"Riza, wait up! Stop going so fast!"

Elizabeth Hawkeye, A.K.A Riza Hawkeye, the Duchess, the most well mannered young woman, spun around on her heels and blinked as she watched her friend mechanic Winry Rockbell huffing after her.

"Hurry Winry, it has been a week since I've went to the range; I cannot waste any more time."

Winry giggled and winked. "And of course you want to test out my newest gun. You should be thankful that your father chose today to stay in his study –it could have been longer then a week!"

Riza smiled a smile that would send all men to their knees, and continued to walk through the castle to the outside range.

Elizabeth Hawkeye is known to neighboring countries as the Duchess of the time. Living in a castle with her father, Sir Hawkeye, and plenty of guards, she has occupied the building for 23 years since she was born.

Sir Hawkeye is the richest man known to the countries, and usually keeps to himself in his study where he researches alchemy.

Being in royalty, Riza has been living as a proper lady, good manners, and no-adventure-life Duchess.

The only thing is that she hates it.

A lot.

Freedom. Freedom is what she has dreamed of for so long instead of being locked up in her ladies-don't-do-that-man-stuff castle. Since she was eight, she has a desire to go out into the real world and go on an adventure, or at least do SOMETHING instead of knitting, or drinking afternoon tea.

But noooooo; her father wouldn't let her.

SO. Whenever her father would lock himself in his study, she and her blessed friend mechanic, Winry, would go out to the range to try out new guns that her friend had invented.

To sum it all up:

Riza lives in a castle that won't let her do a damn thing while her I-love-alchemy-don't-bother-me-in-my-study-and-do-something-ladyish father sits in his room, but when his butt is in a book doing squat, she goes out with her friend to the range.

Simple, right?

--

_Bang_

_Thud_

"_Oi vey_, Riza, you hit the target on your first try? And here I finally thought I made a gun that you wouldn't be able to handle!" Winry whined from her seat on a stump while twisting a knob on an automail arm with a wrench. Her purple jumpsuit rumpled as she huffed and her bandana inched lower on her forehead. The forest trees did little for shade from the glaring, spring sun.

Riza smiled and brushed her long hair over her shoulder, laying gently over her white dress. "Strangely, I'm enjoying your disappointment a bit, Winry. Getting a bulls-eye is an excellent excuse to have you invent more inventories of yours," She grinned. "If you were a man, I would have kissed you by now for my love of your guns."

Winry lips twitched into a smug smirk as she continued to twist a bolt. "I…wouldn't enjoy that much." She then giggled. "You got off easy, Riza."

"Oh, then were the other 68 times hard on me, my dear mechanic friend?"

"You're cutting it loose, Duchess."

Riza frowned and positioned her fire arm aiming to the target. "You know I don't like being called that, Winry."

The mechanic shrugged and waved around the mechanic limb. "I know, but just wait when you are in place of charge; you'll be getting called 'Your Highness' from everyone! You might as well get used to it now."

"I'd rather not think about that."

"Well, once you take place of your father, you can give orders to them to not bother you. That's an upside, right?"

Riza raised a brow. "Maybe, but the only reason Sir Hawkeye keeps me locked in the castle is because of the secrets on my back," She sighed. "And that is why I despise him."

_Bang_

Only Winry, her father, and she knew about the strange array Sir Hawkeye had etched into her back. He only uses her as a book and for no love at all.

Winry grimaced. "Same goes for me as well, Riza. Even though that array is on your back, you don't even use it when you are in trouble. I think it's a waste."

"You have no idea," The Duchess murmured. "When will I ever go against a madman, or a pirate, even?"

Pirates were a problem to the royal highnesses. Living in a castle that resided near the docks is an easy target for pirates. But that's why there are more than 200 guards in the building and outside.

Winry giggled and slapped the automail arm on the stump she was previously sitting on. "I'd like to see the day where we would get whisked away by greedy pirates."

Riza laughed as well, and they continued to talk throughout the morning.

--

"Roooooooooy!"

"WHAT?!"

"We haven't seen ANY land for two months! How much closer till land?"

-Sigh- "One week, tops. So hold your pants till then."

"Guuuh…I'm bored. And my pants have sea water in 'em." –Scratch-

"Complain to your wife, Hughes. I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping you with your little 'problem'."

"…Huh, you're right. Aye, aye Captain!" The spectacled man pranced away with a loud "OH GRACIA!! I'VE GOT A LITTLE PROBLEM!"

Captain Roy Mustang, age 25, growled and slapped his forehead while his other hand steered the ship. Two months since they have seen land (or women-besides Gracia) and his crew were tired, irritated, and cranky.

Being an infamous pirate alchemist with his ship the Black Crow, his reputation has seemingly been decreasing because of their recent visit to the city and then being hoarded and chased by the entire town, mostly because of his playboy attitude.

Basically, Playboy Captain Roy Mustang and his crew are _not_ NO.1 on the charts anymore.

So now being down under the water, the ship was cruising the seas to find land for food, water, money, and women to ease down the irritation he was having.

"Oi, Captain McFlamey Head!"

Did I mention he was irritated? I did? Oh, well carry on.

Mustang snapped his jaw together and slowly turned his head around to see the source of irritation.

Edward Elric stood at the side of him with his hand clenched into a fist, while his younger brother stood behind him. Edward, age 18, is also an alchemy user and an automail arm – although his mechanical limb was…wasn't there at the moment because of a shark attack a few days ago. Simply put, he was heaving over the edge and a shark thought he was a shrimp. Ha.

Alphonse Elric is Edward's younger brother at the age of 17, wore a suit of armor since he didn't like to fight much, so defense was pretty much the other option. Even though he wore a suit of armor, he's still a gentle boy on the inside, literally. Unlike his brother…

"What do you want, Pipsqueak."

"Who are you calling an ant that can't even see over a pebble you playboy jackass of a captain!?"

"I didn't even say- never mind. What do you want?" Mustang frowned and his bandana and hat sunk on his forehead.

Ed snorted. "As if you don't know, my arm is gone and it's irritating me A LOT. Can't you make the ship go any faster? I need a new arm before I get rusted over."

"Well if you have never gotten food poisoning and lead that gigantic ass of a shark to my ship we would have a COMPLETE and WORKING ship to go even faster!" Mustang seethed and turned back to the wheel. "Go back to your station, Elric."

"Ed, I really think we should leave him alone now, he doesn't seem to be in the best of moods…" Al hissed.

Ed barked a laugh and turned on his heels and began walking. "He's only like this 'cause he doesn't have any women to 'get it on' with for two months!"

A spew of flame shot right above his head, making him duck and cover. Shooting up and turning to Mustang, he was about to launch himself when his brother caught him by the collar.

"Stop it Ed! At this rate, you'll get thrown overboard!"

"If he had the guts to do that, I would've been long gone!"

Mustang smirked. "You're only backing down because you don't have an arm, and if you were to use alchemy using _my _ship, I would surely toss you over."

A stream of colorful words flew at him as he turned back to the wheel.

Just two more damned weeks until they docked at land.

Easy, right?

--

The spoon dropped from Riza's hand as did her jaw. Sitting across from her father, she mentally wished that her hearing went wrong as Sir Hawkeye continued eating at the long table.

"I'm WHAT?" She rasped out.

Sir Hawkeye wiped his mouth with his napkin in a gentlemanly way and placed his hands on the table in front of him. "You're getting married in two weeks."

"To whom?!"

"To Duke Marcus Hallington, you know of him, correct?"

Who wouldn't know of him? Three words: Greedy, determined, and perverted.

"Why?!"

"You need a husband, the Hawkeye family is in need of grandchildren, and the courting will bring the Duke's country and ours into an alliance."

Riza bristled at the word _courting_. "One, I can find my OWN husband. Two, I will have children with the husband _I_ choose. And three, sign a damned peace treaty with them! Much easier then _marriage_!" She spat out venomously.

She jumped as Hawkeye slammed his hands down on the table. "Elizabeth Hawkeye, you will _not_ use that tone with me! You will marry the Duke because I trust him with your secrets, and it will do you some good!"

Riza stood as well and barely noticed the staff slowly backing out of the room. "I am not a little girl anymore, _father_, and this is for the secrets on my back?! Honestly, I do NOT trust that man, I absolutely despise him!"

"This conversation is over, Elizabeth!" Sir Hawkeye trilled and walked out of the room.

Riza stood alone in the dining room as she stared at the door where her father left. Gritting her teeth, she hoisted her dress up and slammed the door to the parlor open and continued running to her room, stomping as well. Kicking her door open, she jumped onto her bed face down and just lay there for several moments before the silence was broken.

"Okay…I heard yelling…then stomping…then a belly-flop. Is something wrong?"

Riza turned her head from the pillows to Winry who was staring back at her from the side of the bed on a bench. She retold the story quickly and watched as her friend's mouth dropped open.

"Y-y-you're getting married?" She stuttered out.

Riza groaned as she nodded. "What am I going to do? I can't marry that perverted fool!" Worst of all, her dreams of going on adventure were shattered. Now she would have to marry into another royal family doing the same things she was doing in her own home.

"Mug him, kill him, and then run away."

"Winry!"

"Kidding, kidding. I'm not sure what to tell you, but I'll always be by your side as your friend."

Riza smiled slightly. "Thank you, Winry." And then she sighed and hummed under her breathe. "Here comes the bride…"

**2 Weeks Later, Day of the Wedding:**

Roy Mustang dug into his pocket and pulled out a plentiful amount of coins and handed them to the man next to him. "I appreciate the help for fixing the damages of my ship."

The man scratched his white mustache and nodded. "No worries, my friend. I've been meeting all kinds of pirates and their ships, but I have never seen a beauty like this one. Any thought of selling it to me?"

Roy chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry, this ship is off the market. It's very important to me, and like you said," He chuckled again. "She's one of a kind."

He waved the man good-bye and walked back to town. Looking around as he past the shops, he winked at giggling women, but none of them caught his interest. Flabby, old, unappealing, etc.

Not watching where he was going, he ran into a pole. "Ouch…" He looked at the pole, glaring before he saw what was on it. There was a poster, with a beautiful lady that he has never seen before on front. Beautiful, was what he thought. Blonde hair draping over her shoulders, a petite figure with the right curves, and her deep amber eyes. Looking closer, he noticed that there was no glow in her eyes, only dullness and sadness. His eyes roaming over the poster, Roy's eyes caught on a few words edged into the sheet.

_Duchess Elizabeth Hawkeye is finally getting married! And to who, you ask? Duke Marcus Hallington! Is this the man that Elizabeth truly desires? Maybe, maybe not._

Duchess? If she's Duchess Hawkeye, then that means she's the daughter of the rich Sir Hawkeye…

-_Bing-_

Roy spun around and caught sight of his right hand man Hughes. Calling him over, he told him of his plan…

It's time to crash a wedding.

- - - - - - -

It was scratchy. Very scratchy.

Riza scratched her arm for the seventh time that day as she waited in her room for the pianist to start playing. Winry was in the same room as well, hiking up her tool box and mechanical arm.

"Winry, I think most of the people will begin to wonder to why a young woman is bringing a tool box and a limb with her to a wedding…and so am I."

Winry smirked. "You never know what might happen, and this," She pointed to the arm. "This is in case Hallington is being a jackass." She them pointed to her tool box. "And this has my wrenches, screws, etc, _and_ half of your guns."

Riza laughed lightly and smoothed down her wedding gown. She grimaced suddenly at the thought of being seconds away from her forced marriage.

Winry noticed. "I wish for a miracle to happen now…" At that moment, the sound of the grand piano could be heard, and was the cue for her to walk down the aisle. Straitening up, she pulled down her veil and waited as the doors opened to reveal the afternoon sun.

- - - - -

Ed grunted from his spot on the ledge of the castle and glared at Mustang who was perched next to him in the shadows. "Why does the god damn wedding have to be outside of the castle? And how much longer?"

Roy shushed him and adjusted his almost-falling hat. "It would have been harder and more dangerous if they were to have it inside; there are even more guards inside then out here." The pianist of the wedding began playing the wedding march. "It's starting, get into position."

Below them, the doors opened and a small blonde woman with a tool box came out, quickly striding to the altar and to the side, waiting for the main attraction.

And then _she_ came.

Beautiful, elegant, and sadness etched into her eyes, she slowly walked down the aisle surrounded by the crowd of acquaintances. Her gown was gleaming in the sunlight, and her hair was pulled back over her shoulders.

Roy leaned forwards, wanting to catch more of what she looked like under the veil, as did Edward whose eyes were glued to the younger woman who came out first, but Hughes pulled them both back into the shadows. "It probably wouldn't be a pretty sight if you were to fall from the third floor ledge on your faces."

Roy nodded, before setting their mark. They woman was already at the altar next to the groom. Counting down, Roy ticked off his fingers from…

_Three_

The wedding march began to slow down.

_Two_

The wind came by, lifting the veil slightly off of the bride's face.

_One_

The woman suddenly looked up to the ledge, large amber eyes meeting a pair of raven ones.

"_Let's go, men!"_

The song ended with a crash.

**A/N: **Yeah I'm not that informed about duchess and dukes and how in some books they say they're supposed to be already married, but let's make them NOT married in this story. Hope you don't mind. And my pirate slang isn't really good…so sorry about that too.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!

Review


	2. Wedding Crashers and Ransoms

**A/N: **Thanks to Averal, anime123456781, FireFang, realityfling18, animegirl9867, fAteD lOvE, and any other people who reviewed but I forgot, for the reviews and the info about the 'Pirate Slang'. I'm just sticking to the regular 'ye old language'. Also, Hawkeye's and Mustang's views will soon be merged, so no more confusion :P.

**Current Music:** Bruised

Enjoy!

**Chapter 2: Wedding Crashers and Ransoms**

Riza wasn't sure if she were to be enraged or happy when she heard the piano crash as a man landed harshly on it and when someone had shouted, "Let's go, men!"

The guards surrounding the area had immediately sprung into action, positioning themselves in front of the Duke and Duchess, but were quickly disposed of and tossed to the side. The Duke had let out an unmanly scream as he was pushed into a pile of thorn bushes. Pass the screams of surprise and fear, Winry had jumped over the dead bodies and skidded to the surprised bride's side.

"Riza, come on! We can't stay here!" Winry tugged on Riza's arm and quickly led her over the dead bodies. Speechless, the bride merely nodded and stepped over the corpses. The screams and gunshots continued as they ran through the garden, heels quickly clacking over the concrete walkways and the sound of metal clanking around in the mechanic's toolbox.

Suddenly, Riza spotted a flash of black hair from behind them. Gripping her friend's hand tighter and hoisting her dress up, she sped up her pace. "Winry, leave me! You have a better chance of escaping without me!" she hissed.

Winry blew out a breath harshly. "No way, I told you I'm not leaving your side, and I'm keeping that promise!"

Riza growled and saw the black hair coming closer as they ran through the violets. "Then at least give me a gun and stay behind me! Can you do that?"

Her friend grimaced but nodded nonetheless. "We're going to die. I swear to you we're going to die." Skidding to a stop, their movements had been done in one fluid stride. Unlatching the tool kit, the especially new hand-gun flew from the box and into Riza's hand, flipping off the safety, and then snapping into position.

The man stopped, and then his lips turned into a cocky grin. "So the lady knows how to handle a gun? Interesting, this will be fun." Riza eyed the man warily and then glared at his face. It was the same eyes she saw on the castle ledge, but they seemed to be now scorching with some unknown emotion. The man's hat tilted, and Riza frowned; the captain, of course. A familiar shriek knocked her back into time and she quickly whirled her head around in time to see Winry being shoved to the ground face-down by a man who had one arm.

"Winry!" Riza turned and attempted to jump on the short, blonde man that had her friend but was stopped as the Captain's hand jerked her back. He smirked as he saw the blonde's shocked expression, which quickly turned into anger.

Riza growled harshly and flipped up her gun and pulled the trigger.

--

Roy Mustang froze as he heard the gun shoot. Not moving, he waited for the pain to start.

But there was none.

Grabbing the woman's hands in one of his own, he forced her veiled head to the ground and straddled her from behind. With his other hand, he patted himself from his torso to head before realizing that his hat was gone. Tilting his head around, he spotted his hat on the ground just behind him.

Aside from a dirty hat, it had a sizzling, bullet-sized hole where the space right above his head was to be.

He narrowed and then arched a brow at the woman under him who was struggling to free her arms. Although, her goal wasn't to run away, it was…

"Winry!" Her melodic voice came out frustrated, worried, and sharp as she tried to free her arms. She then glared at Mustang. "Let her go! You've already got what you want, just let her go! She has nothing to do with this!"

Mustang crinkled his brow and grinned wryly. Leaning down, he smoothly talked into her ear. "You're in the hands of pirates, yet you only care for the safety of your friend? I find that…ironic." He grinned as he felt her shudder, but his face became a mask of shock as she uttered something ridiculous to his ears.

"Creepy, perverted, jackass of a captain." Unbelievable! The most well-mannered woman using profanities was something he was not expecting.

He looked up at the sound of Edward snickered, which soon turned to howling which made him loosen his grip on Winry. Roy widened his eyes as he saw a glint in the woman's eyes. "You fool! Don't let her go!"

But it was too late.

Winry jumped up and was practically like a trampoline to the blonde man as she spun around for the auto mail arm. Clutching it tightly and a twitching eye, she whirled back to Edward and smacked him across the face with an unbelievable amount of strength. In turn, he flew back several feet with a dazed expression.

Roy didn't know if he wanted to laugh at him being beaten by a girl, or smack himself for being beaten by a girl. Unknowingly, his hands had released their grip on the blonde's arm in shock. But not to Riza.

Taking the chance, she brought her elbow in front of her before snapping it back into Mustang's gut. His breathe whooshed out and he fell onto his back. Riza quickly crouched quickly, finding her gun, and then positioning it to Roy.

"Riza!"

Not moving from her spot, she used her peripheral vision to see that Winry was once again in the hands of the now unfazed Edward. His arm was hooked around her neck and in the same hand, a blade. –No right arm-

"I'm sorry I had to do this," Mustang stood up, coughing lightly and dusting off his hat. He picked it up and placed it on his head before slowly walking a few steps closer to the woman in white. "But one wrong move and your friend will have to make some new friends in heaven."

Riza snapped her teeth together and thought quickly, eyes switching between Mustang and her friend. Deciding, she wryly smirked and jerked the head of the gun to her neck.

Roy's eyes widened and stared the gun warily. "You wouldn't."

Riza raised a brow. "Wouldn't I? You don't know who you're dealing with. I'm the Duchess of this land," She internally winced at the name but continued. "And I've been known to make rash decisions." True, there _had_ been times that her decisions haven't been the safest.

When she was nine, she chased Winry's cat up a tree and then falling off –landing on the cat and having a broken leg, effectively killing the cat. Winry didn't even like the cat that much, anyways.

When she was fourteen, she wanted out on the Fall Ball, so she glossed and waxed the ballroom floor, making an enormous amount of disgruntled people leaving the ball with aching bruises and limbs.

A week ago, she didn't want to spend the day –days- with the Duke, so she snuck into the kitchen at night and ate some spoiled crepes and had food poisoning only three hours after forcing it down her throat. She said she blamed it on her midnight-snack desires.

"Crud." Edward groaned.

Riza shifted the gun closer. "I _will_ shoot; there won't be any Duchess to handle then, right?"

Roy growled. How irritating! "We won't kill your friend, but she will be coming with us. Now drop it."

"Tell you lackey to release that dagger of his first."

Can she be even more stubborn?!

"Elric. Drop the blade."

_Plunk_

"There, done. Happy? Now, put. Your. Gun. Down."

That easy? Well, might as well have some fun with this. Riza resisted the urge to grin giddily. "Do a little dance."

Silence.

"WHAT?!"

No fun at all.

"Alright, alright." The gun clattered to the grassy ground and Roy immediately hooked her wrists into a bounding rope knot. Edward had done the same to Winry, pushing her along next to Mustang.

--

They arrived at where the wedding had started. Except now, there were dead bodies and several of Mustang's crewmates loitering around and surrounding the Duke and Sir Hawkeye who were somehow still alive. Sir Hawkeye looked up as they approached the clearing, and his eyes widened. "Elizabeth! You're alive!"

"For now." Mustang replied.

Sir Hawkeye narrowed his eyes. "You must be Captain Roy Mustang. You've been known to be the sneakiest, playboy captain across the seas, am I right?"

"Hit the nail on the spot. And this is your daughter, Duchess Elizabeth Hawkeye, am _I_ right?" He kept a grip on Riza's bundled wrists and thrust her in front of him.

Hawkeye gritted his teeth, but it was not his words that voiced out. It was the Duke's. "Release her, she is my bride!"

As soon as his scratchy voice said "Bride.", Roy couldn't help feeling something twinge inside of him. Irritation? Maybe. "You probably know my conditions, Hawkeye," he chuckled, ignoring the Duke.

"No money will be spent on her, anything else is fine, but let her go!"

Roy raised a brow. "No money? Why is that?"

Riza whispered harshly to him, but mostly to herself. "He's a greedy fool who has no love for his only family, what do you expect from an alchemy freak?"

He snorted, before plastering on an indifferent mask. "No money, no deal. Well," He tugged onto Riza's arm and began to walk backwards, to the clearings edge which was railed by stone cobblestones. (**A/N: Imagine the ledge as in the first movie of Pirates of the Caribbean where Elizabeth falls off the ledge and into the water because of her too-tight corset. You see it?)** "If you still want your daughter back, be sure to send someone in our direction. Until then, we'll be holding onto her on our ship." He winked and stepped off of the ledge. "See you then."

Riza felt her stomach flop as they stepped off the ledge, utterly confused on why he had just made both of them jump off the ledge. They dropped faster, but then jumped back up by a gigantic cushion; a sail. They slid down the sail, and then plopping onto Mustang's behind onto the deck of a gigantic and beautiful ship. "Oof!" Roy undid the knots on her wrists as they sat up.

She heard Winry shriek and looked up just in time to see her land on the sailing as well, but landed on the back of Edward who smacked the deck face-down.

Mustang released her as she quickly walked over to Winry's side, hoisting her off of Edward's straining back. "Winry? Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine." She gasped at the sudden exhilaration. The ship had been positioned to the side of the land, making it a not-so-far jump. Both their ears perked up as they heard the captain holler words to the crewmates who were also leaping down onto the deck.

"Raise the anchors! Start heading west! Release the mast sails!" (**A/N: Not sure on this part so sorry.)**

The ship began moving, veering to the left and the groaning of the anchor reeling up rang through their ears.

Winry started immediately. "Where are you taking us?!" She shrieked. Ed groaned at the high pitch scream and tried with difficulty getting up. His brother attempted to help him, but Ed only swat away his hand.

Hughes, who has just landed on the deck, twisted his lips. "Not anywhere in particular, just away from those fancy guards of yours; see?" He pointed above him from where he leapt from and ridges. More guards have appeared and the Duke and Hawkeye were most likely issuing orders to the scrabbling men. "We want to get away as fast so we don't get hit with cannonballs."

"What about _us_?!" Winry had stood up, angrily clenching her fists. By this time, the ship was already out of shooting range from the land.

"Winry, wait-." Riza tried to tug her back down, but failed. Honestly, she didn't want to have her friend being killed by the pirates. She also realized something else…

"NO! _We're_ the kidnapped; _we_ deserve the right to know _why_ they have to bring us with them!"

Mustang, who had dusted himself off, smirked at the two women. "We're in need of a major amount of money, and the only idea I can think of is having you as ransom. So, until your father gives in, you'll be staying with us." He looked at the woman in white for a moment. "Hughes, help me take them to Gracia. Our guests will probably want some more comfortable clothing. They're going to be with us for a while."

Roy grasped Riza's arm and tugged her up. He pulled her body to a door on the deck. "C'mon, I doubt that you're comfortable in that gigantic marshmallow that you call of a dress and-."

"I don't see why you didn't use your alchemy against us; it would have been easier for you."

Roy stopped, making the blonde run into him as well. He slowly turned to look down at her. "What?"

Riza rolled her eyes and pointedly looked down at the gloved hand that was holding her arm. "If you used your alchemy, it would have used less time to kidnap us. But instead, you didn't, and now you have a pretty little hole in your hat for what you _didn't_ do."

Behind them, Hughes, who had Winry in front of him, gasped in awe and guffawed. Loudly. Winry began giggling as well.

Roy glared at him before looking back at Riza with annoyance. "How was I supposed to know that the _Duchess_ knew how to handle a gun? I thought you'd be screaming and thrashing in terror by now."

Riza narrowed her eyes and glared back at him. "You can't assume from dingy so-called profiles. And honestly, I thought that the notorious, playboy Pirate Roy Mustang would be more...scarier."

At this point, Hughes, Winry, and even Ed had fallen to the ground, nearly clutching their sides in their laughter. Between the guffaws, Hughes was able to stutter out an almost incomplete sentence. "S-s-she…Roy! She got you –guffaw- good!"

Roy growled, but before he could spat out anything else, he felt something warm, sticky, and a burning sensation seeping through his hands. Curious, he looked down at his hand and spotted the culprit. "Blood."

Riza blinked and looked down as well. "Huh?"

"You're bleeding." She was; on her forearm.

"Oh." She blinked again, slowly realizing what happened. Once she snapped back to reality, she jerked her arm back and the burning sensation dimmed from his hand. Roy raised a brow and stared intently into her eyes.

Knowing that he was going to ask her the question, Riza quickly answered. "There are reasons why there are secrets, and none of them are any of your business."

Roy snorted, but nonetheless brought out a cloth from his trousers and wrapped it around the wound. "I'll deal with you later." Opening the door that revealed stairs, they descended to the lower floor. The ship was huge; several doors and floors, and all sorts of things that you wouldn't imagine on a ship. Crossing through a few more doors, they seemed to slow down and opened a final door.

Inside was a normal size room with a bed to the far side and a few table-desks scattered around with cloths lying around. A light, brown-haired woman was sitting on her bed with a sewing needle and spool next to her while holding up another piece of cloth. Startled, the woman looked up. "Oh, Roy, back already? How did your trip-." She stopped and blinked at the sight of the two holding each other. The woman groaned and looked at him in disbelief. "You got _married_?! And only when we had just arrived here?! Honestly Roy, how much of a playboy can you get?"

Roy blinked. "What?" And then his face twisted in a strange way. "Wait a minute, I'm not-" He was cut off as the woman gasped.

"And the _Duchess_?! Roy, how could you?!"

"That's what I'm trying to tell-"

"I thought you were better than that! I thought you said you didn't want to settle down, but now this?! Really Roy, I never would have guessed-"

"We're not married." Riza smoothly cut in.

The woman blinked, and then blushed. "Oh." But then something seemed to click in her mind and she dropped her mouth in horror. "You _KIDNAPPED THE DUCHESS_?! And at her own WEDDING?!"

Behind Riza, Winry giggled and leaned over to Riza. "I like her already." She whispered. Riza shrugged, but smiled as well.

Hughes stepped in front of the group to the woman. "Gracia, honey, this-"

Gracia gave him a deathly glare and pointed at him, standing up as well. "And YOU. My own husband?! How can you be in this?!"

Riza and Winry's jaws opened in shock. "Husband?" Winry stuttered out. "You guys are married?"

Hughes's mouth twitched into a smile. "Yep, I've been married to this beauty for a long time, and never regretted it." He quickly scampered to his wife's side and slung an arm around her waist. "Isn't she a beauty?"

Gracia's face softened, but then glared at him and Roy. "Explain, now."

**A/N: I was thinking; if I had Roy wearing the eye patch like in the movie, DEFINITE PIRATE! Hah. And not much fluff yet, but there will be. Promise.**

**Some people have messaged me wondering why I haven't updated TFB yet. Here's my answer.**

**The chapter I'm currently working on has a lot going on, so it's getting me confused on how to write the plot scene. So sorry. :P**

**Review**


	3. The Black Crow

**A/N: Err…not sure what to say now…nothing interesting except for the fact that I've gotten a bit of writer's block for TFB. **

**Current Music: Colors of the Rainbow**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA. **

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**Chapter 3: The Black Crow**

"Here you go, these should fit you nicely. Be careful of your arm, dear." Gracia handed Riza and Winry a pair of clothes, entitled with trousers, laced boots, laced white shirts, and dark-colored velvet bodices. "I'm sorry for my earlier outbursts, milady. I didn't know that I was in the presence of the Duchess."

"What am I, fried chicken?" Riza heard Winry mutter. She hushed her friend and presented a small smile to Gracia. "It's fine. Who wouldn't be surprised to see a woman in a wedding gown on a pirate ship? And please, call us Riza and Winry." She chuckled darkly. "I pretty much left that title at the land when I became prisoners for pirates."

Gracia sadly smiled. "I apologize for their actions, Riza, Winry. We are going through some hard times –well, at least Roy is, and this is their plan to make his life…better."

"What do you mean?" Riza asked as they slipped on the clothes.

"Mustang's reputation has gone down to the bottom of the sea, so he probably came up with this plan of kidnapping you for a ransom to raise him to the top of the charts," Gracia sighed. "With his playboy and stubborn attitude, I wouldn't be surprised on what happens in the future." She glanced at Riza before looking away. Riza didn't notice.

"So we're only items to them…" Winry frowned, clipped part of her hair into a bun, and then kicked her tool box. "I don't like to be _used_." She spat out.

Riza sighed and clipped up her hair into a bun as well. She nodded to Gracia. "Thank you for the clothes, Gracia." She cocked her head confusedly. "Uhm, what are we supposed to do now?"

Gracia sadly smiled and got up from her bed. Walking over to the door, she looked over her shoulder and waved them over. "The Captain is probably waiting on the deck with the crew. This ship is pretty big, so follow me."

Walking in the halls and up a few stairwells, Winry nudged Riza and whispered in her ear. "Why did you try to stop me earlier?"

Riza blinked at her with an impassive expression. "Hm?"

"When I yelled at the Captain, you tried to stop me. Wouldn't you have done the same thing; wanting to know the answers of what was going to happen to us?"

Riza's face stayed emotionless as she answered. "Winry, do you remember my dream I told you about when we were young? Of being free?"

Winry nodded. "Of course I do. And you know my dream of being the best mechanic in the world. What are you saying?"

Riza smiled softly at her friend as the passed more halls that were leading them to low murmurs. "When we were up at the ledge, a thought came to me. This may be my only chance of freedom. Being taken away on a pirate ship and traveling to open seas; this is what I've been waiting for." She looked down at her boots as they continued walking. "It's my dream, Winry, to get away from that prison I call home."

Winry looked at her with an incredulous expression. "Is getting killed on a pirate ship included in your dream as well?" She winced at the harsh glare she got. "Alright, alright, I understand," She sighed. "But what if things don't turn out as you want it to be?"

Riza smiled and waved with her hand. "That's called an adventure, my dear friend. And don't worry," She lifted the left flap of her vest to her friend, revealing a gun. "Even though we're not fully prepared for what's coming, we at least have some protection." She buttoned back her vest as Winry grumbled, "Fabulous."

The three then stopped at a door. They could distinctly hear loud voices on the other side of the door, most likely the crewmates. Winry groaned quietly. "Dear lord, please give us luck for what is to be brought upon us."

Gracia chuckled quietly and placed her hand on the knob. "You'll need it."

The two gave each other an uneasy glance and sighed as Gracia opened the door.

The hollering immediately stopped as they stepped through to the light. Although they had only escaped the main land an hour ago, it was already twilight. Winry subtly huddled closer to Riza's side and warily looked around, as did the older blonde. Men were everywhere on the deck; most likely wanting to see the new guests. Suddenly, there was a low whistle that resounded through the wind towards the ladies.

A man stepped through the crowd. He was tall, burly, and had dark brown hair that was covered by a skull bandana. His face was covered in scars, and a gigantic axe was held on his back, wrapped in gauze. His dark eyes were ominous and had a shiny gleam in his eyes as he eyed the women. "You're looking pretty good in those clothes, ladies," He revealed his teeth that formed into a wolf grin. "Interested in comin' down to my bunk for some fun?"

Gracia stepped in front of Riza and Winry and glared at the man in front of her. "I advise you to keep your mouth shut, Donovan."

The man known as Donovan snorted. "Just 'cause yer the mate of Mustang's right hand man doesn't mean that you think you could scare me off."

Gracia narrowed her eyes. "Then you wouldn't mind if I told the Captain of your behavior?"

"Don't bother, Gracia. This man is probably too thick-headed to know what you're implying." Riza said from behind her nonchalantly. Winry squeaked and slapped Riza's arm.

The deck went eerily silent and then amused and worried murmurs went throughout the crowd. Donovan's face had begun to take a red tint.

Gracia even looked worried. She leaned back and hurriedly hissed at the blonde woman. "Careful, Riza. This man is dangerous – especially when angered. That axe he has isn't just for show."

Donovan heard her, and then barked out a laugh. He eyed the blonde. "She's right, pretty lady. I'm one of the strongest fighters of this ship besides the captain and the shorty alchemists. So why don't ya apologize so I won't do anything rash to you."

**(A/N: Does it look like Riza's being to…I dunno, OOC? Well, sorry folks, but this is how I see it.)**

Riza raised a brow at the man. "I'm…having that hard to stomach. You know what they say," She smiled wryly at him. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

Winry squeaked again as a visible vein popped in Donovan's temple. "Riza! Don't provoke-" She was cut off as Donovan stepped forward.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU LITTLE WENCH?!" He reached back and grabbed the handle of his axe. "I'LL CUT YER HEAD DOWN FOR THAT!!"

Winry gave her friend a wild look saying 'Now you've done it!' Riza held up a finger and smiled at her.

As Donovan began to unsheathe his axe from his back, a sudden river of flame shot out in between the two parties, making the man stumble back in surprise. The flames dilapidated quickly as it came, leaving a stream of smoke in the air. A familiar voice rang out as the shock appeared on everyone's faces except for Gracia's and Riza's. "You should be dead for your little stunt, Donovan."

Mustang and Hughes came out from an opposite door with the married man wearing a livid expression. Hughes hurriedly strode to his wife's side and took her hand in his own. Murmuring something quietly to his wife, he then hugged her close to his side and gave an irritated look at Roy.

Roy nodded and scanned the crowd of crewmates. "These women are off-limits, mates. Anyone who tries anything funny with them will be thrown overboard, got it?" When he didn't receive an answer, he frowned. "Understood?!" He barked out. The crew gave a loud, "Aye, Captain!" And then went back to their duties. Once he was sure they were working, he turned back to Riza, Winry, and then to Donovan. "And then there were three."

Donovan was red in the face as he stormed his huge body to Mustang's side. "What are you saying, Captain?!" He pointed at Riza and spat at his face. "This wench made a mockery of me! How can you not let me do anything to her?!"

Mustang slowly wiped the spit from his face with his gloved hand and looked at Donovan passively. "I do not have to repeat myself again, Donovan. Lay a hand on them and you're thrown overboard. That's an order." He then glared at him, his fingers rubbed against each other making a small spark. "Got it memorized?"

Donovan gritted his teeth and snarled before he opened a door, stepped inside, and slammed it shut, the sound echoing through everyone's ears. Surprisingly, it didn't come off of its hinges.

Roy sighed and then turned to Riza and Winry. "And then there were two…" He shoved his left hand into his pocket and stood in front of Riza. "Mind explaining what you were doing just now?"

Riza crossed her arms and stared back at him. "I wanted to see your alchemy. I never thought you would be a fire alchemist."

Roy smirked. "Surprised?" He chuckled and lifted his right gloved hand and turned it so that the back was facing her. "I am grateful to be able to use this alchemy; most can't handle this kind." He slowed as he watched as Riza's eyes widen in what seemed in horror. Her eyes glazed over as she traced the symbols with her vision.

Winry also had noticed the strange design on his glove and nudged Riza. "Isn't that-" she stopped as Riza hurriedly shook her head at her, signaling her to be quiet.

Riza took a step forwards, her eyes locked on his glove. "Where did you learn your alchemy?" She demanded.

Roy's smirk grew and he let his hand drop. "I learned from-"

_THUD_

He was cut off as a small, blonde headed body plummeted to the deck of the ship. All went quiet except for the groaning from the body. Roy raised a brow and looked down at the boy. "What are you doing, Edward? Are you trying to kill yourself? Honestly, I can think of better ways of suicide; all you'll get from falling from the watchtower is a deranged spine."

Ed was able to kneel up and glare at the captain. "I don't need your sass, Mustang." He gestured to his right side that had no arm. "It's hard to climb up ropes with only one hand; you expect me to climb with my teeth?"

Roy sighed and shook his head. "Just be glad that you didn't fall on your head, Elric. Wouldn't want to lose another foot in height, would you?"

Al had conveniently jumped into the almost-brawl and held his brother back. "Ed…you already lost one arm, we don't need you having loosing anything else."

Ed scowled and shook Al's metal arm off. "Just wait till I get another arm, Mustang. I am this _close_," He pinched his forefinger and thumb together and continued, "To knocking your head off."

Hughes spoke up this time. "That might be sooner than you think, Ed." He dropped his arm from his wife's shoulder and walked to Winry's side. Slinging his arm around her shoulders, he pointed with his thumb. "You know this little lady from that jump on your back from earlier, right?"

Ed's gaze seemed to hold her a bit longer than anyone else's before nodding. "Yeah, what's your point?"

Hughes grinned while Winry had a dumbfounded look on. "She brought along an automail arm and a toolbox; I reckon she's a mechanic."

The brothers seemed to perk up at this and looked expectantly at the young woman. "Really?" Al asked. "Does the arm happen to be a right one?"

Winry nodded slowly. "Yes, it is."

Ed grinned and nudged his brother. "That's great! We'll take it!"

Winry blinked and frantically waved her arms in front of her. "NO. No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! Not gonna happen!"

"What? Why? I need an arm, and you have one!"

Winry glared at the two boys. "I don't see why I have to give it to you; you're living, breathing, and standing on two legs! You're perfectly fine! Besides, you guys _kidnapped_ us- have you forgotten that concept already? No way in hell you're getting your _hand_ on my masterpiece!"

Ed's jaw slackened as it dropped open. "WHAT?! That's unfair! I was just following orders," He pointed at Mustang who raised a brow with a disbelief face masked on. "From him! Direct your grudge to him cause it was ALL him!"

Roy's mouth twitched in amusement. "Hey now, I don't see why you have to bring me into this."

Winry ignored the captain's comment. "Yet you followed it! What, you're not allowed to do anything just because he's the captain?" She held a finger and smirked in amusement. "You know what I think of that? Hah! One word: Wuss."

Riza quickly brought up her hand to her mouth as she snorted in laughter as did everyone else but the teenagers. Wuss? She knew Winry had it in her, but this was too hilarious. Although everyone else had the decency to cover up their laughter, Mustang, sadly, didn't.

He barked out a laugh, which soon turned into guffaws as he leaned against Alphonse's shaking frame. Ed slowly turned his red, pulsing face to the captain, daring him to say something. Being smart –more like he would explode if he opened his mouth-, Roy didn't say anything, merely shaking in laughter.

Winry 'humphed' in satisfaction and then her smirk widened. "You should be glad that I didn't call you short."

Silence

Even Mustang didn't say anything.

Ed furiously whipped his head back to the woman and began to stalk forwards. "WHAT?!" He roared. "You should be glad that I didn't slice your throat open back on land you little grease monkey!"

Riza slapped her forehead. "You shouldn't have said that," She groaned.

Suddenly, a wrench had mysteriously popped into Winry's hand that slammed onto Edward's head with a loud _"Clunk!_" Ed stumbled back as stars flashed across his vision into his brother's grasp.

Riza pulled Winry back as she tried to take another swipe at the already bruised Elric. "Winry, please calm down." A thought came to her then. "Where did that wrench come from? I didn't see you get one since we've been on the ship."

Winry's brow twitched. "It was under my dress, strapped to my thigh."

Riza blinked and bit back a grin. "Impressive," She stated as she let the young woman go.

Winry giggled and waved her wrench in front of her. "I learned from the best," she sang and winked at her friend. She turned to a frightened looking Gracia and linked their arms together. "Can you show me the kitchen, Gracia? I'm parched."

Gracia seemed to snap out of it and then nodded. "Of course, but what about Edward?"

Everyone looked back to the boy who was now unconscious. Hughes smiled and waved them off. "He'll be fine. A hell of a headache when he wakes up, but other then that, he'll be fine." He clucked his tongue and looked at Al who was holding his unconscious brother. "Mind bringing him to his room? Oh, and board down the door before he wakes up; he'll throw a fit when he remembers what happened."

Al's body shook in silent laughter, but nonetheless agreed and dragged his brother through the door that led to the lower decks.

Winry, seemingly cooled off, looked over at Riza. "Coming?"

Riza shook her head and smiled. "Thanks, but I don't think I'm in the best of moods to ingest anything yet." She pointedly glanced over at Mustang discreetly.

Winry nodded before following Gracia through the door. "I'll bring something for you later then!" She called over her shoulder.

As soon as the door shut, Riza turned to the Captain. "I'm guessing that you'll be holding us in the brig, right?"

Roy shook his head and turned, gesturing with his hand for her to follow. Walking across the deck and pass several men, he finally answered. "Now why would I do that to you ladies? I'm not that cold-hearted."

Riza narrowed her eyes slightly at his comment.

"I'm certainly not going to make you work either-"

"Let me guess, we wouldn't like that. And why, may I ask, would we dislike working? Because we're women?" At this point, they had arrived at the steering wheel of the ship.

Roy turned to her with wide eyes. "Where'd you get that idea?"

"Oh, I dunno," A voice said behind them. "Maybe because you're a playboy captain who absolutely _loves_ to toy with women?"

The two blinked and turned to the person behind the wheel who spoke. Roy glared at the man. "Havoc."

The man known as Havoc waved at him with a lit cigarette in his hand. Bringing it up to his mouth, he let out a puff of smoke before grinning at Roy. "Captain," he acknowledged. "I see you're getting acquainted with the Duchess very nicely, am I right?"

Roy grunted and crossed his arms. "Very."

Havoc took a hand off the wheel and stretched out his hand to Riza. "Names Jean Havoc, welcome to the Black Crow."

Riza looked surprised before nodding and shaking his hand. "Elizabeth Hawkeye, but call me Riza."

As they withdrew hands, Havoc laughed. "By your face, I'm guessing this is the only welcoming you've gotten so far, right?"

Riza smiled slightly. "Right on the spot."

Roy coughed. "Hey!"

Riza pursed her lips for a moment. "Your welcome of jumping off of a ledge onto your ship wasn't exactly…welcoming, no matter how exhilarating it was."

Roy felt his blood rushing up his neck. Frowning, he grumbled incoherently. However, Havoc looked mildly surprised.

"Well this is interesting. I've been on this ship as long as you have, captain, but I don't think I've seen a woman make you blush before!" He laughed, but was cut off as Roy's hand flew out and smacked him on the back of the head. "Ouch!"

"Watch your mouth, Havoc, and get back to the wheel." Roy muttered.

"Yeah, yeah."

Roy turned back to Riza who was looking at him with an impassive expression glued on. "Look, I wasn't being sexist or anything. If you want to work, work. You don't, don't. But," He nodded with his chin to the sky. It was beginning to turn darker and looking closely, grey clouds were rolling in. "There's going to be a storm soon, and it's best to take shelter." He turned to the vast sea behind the ship. "We'll loose them during the storm, so we'll have to act quickly. Hughes!" The spectacled man was at his side in an instance and looking at him with an expecting look. "Bring the Duchess to Gracia and her friend; we have to start getting ready."

Hughes nodded and gently tugged on Riza's arm. "Aye, aye, captain. C'mon, you're probably hungry."

As they left, Havoc leaned towards Roy who was watching the two leave for the lower deck. "Never seen you that flushed before," He measured him for a moment. "You're not falling for the Duchess, the one you're holding ransom, are you?"

Roy chuckled darkly. "You're crazy, Havoc, I always thought so. Besides, this is just the beginning."

"Do I want to know what beginning this is?"

"Not really." He stopped, and then added, "No."

**A/N: Yes, I know you're still waiting for TFB, but sorry! Until I get some inspiration to **_**how**_** (note the italics; I know what I'm writing, just not how) to put it in writing. **

**-Duck and covers for maybe-hate mail-**

**Anyways, I put a poll, so check it out later on my profile if you want.**

**Did you like the Ed/Winry part? Hah, 'cuz I did. Sorry if Riza seems…would **_**bitchy**_** be the word? Anyways, sorry if you don't like it. And what of that Donovan character? And no fluff either…and not much action, but there will be in the next chapter! Hope I didn't disappoint you with this update!**

**Reviews are welcome!**


	4. Storm

**A/N: The reviews you guys are sending me are AWESOME. I mean it. I'm very satisfied that you people like my story.**

**Current Song: Yankee Doodle**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 4: Storm**

Hours passed and soon turned to suppertime for the crewmates on the Black Crow. The galley was piled with men in all kinds and boisterous laughter bounding off of the wooden walls. Some have come to accept the fact that two more women will be abroad the ship and also untouchable, while others gave leering looks with inappropriate whistles and comments. Of course, this wasn't unnoticed by the women and of course the captain, who ate in his quarters.

Unlike the other perverted men, Havoc had been very friendly to the Riza along with his friends – Winry had already gone to bed-. At their own table, she had been introduced to more of Havoc's fellow crewmates; Breda, Fuery, and Falman. Soon after introductions, conversations flowed easily.

"We've been close friends with the Captain even before he became a pirate," Havoc said, crunching on soup-soaked bread. "Never been separated more than a month."

"He's right; we've been following him for a long time now," Falman informed.

Riza cocked a brow and sipped her mug of coffee. "And what of the rest of your crewmates?"

Breda snorted and shook his red head. "For the ship and the fame, of course. These men are all greedy fools looking for fame, fortune, and adventure. If I wasn't a close friend of Mustang, I'd be here for the ship."

Riza nodded and looked at the intricate designs carved into the wooden walls. "It is amazing; I've never seen a ship this beautiful."

Fuery nodded, his glasses sliding over his nose. "It's the only thing he has of remembrance of his father; it's his pride and joy."

The Duchess blinked and rubbed her mug. "His father? Was he also a pirate?"

"Mhmm," Havoc muttered, drinking his own mug. "He was an infamous pirate named the Black Crow. His crewmates named the ship after him after he died. Papa Mustang did everything that every pirate dreamed of doing. Fame, fortune, women of course, and stories of all of his adventures."

"So then when he passed away, he left the ship to his son, right?"

"Something like that," Breda said, moving uncomfortably. "It's not really our place to say much about the Captain. If you want to know more, you should ask him yourself. I'm sure he'd tell a pretty lady yourself."

Riza smiled wryly. "I have a feeling that he doesn't want to stand with my attitude right now." Pushing her plate away, she stood up. "I'm going out for some fresh air; I've never ingested food while the floor is wavering."

-----

"I'm telling you, Hughes, her stubbornness is driving me up the walls. It's so aggravating!" Roy ground out as he slammed his mug of beer on the table. "I've never met a woman this…this…blasphemy!" He spat out and then rubbed his face.

Hughes' lips twitched in amusement as he swirled the contents of his own mug. "True, I've never seen you this frustrated over one woman."

Roy groaned and slouched in his seat. "I don't know what to do! When I think she's going left, BAM! She goes right! I have no idea what she thinks and what she will do; it's irritating!"

Hughes looked at him with wide eyes, bewilderment showing on his face. "Wow, this _is_ bad. Well, think of it this way, Roy," He said, placing his mug down. "You just have to deal with her a little longer until Sir Hawkeye says 'uncle'. Just wait for the white flag and then she's gone."

As right as he was, Roy couldn't help feeling another twinge at the mention of her being gone. It was... a depressing feeling that weighed down on his shoulders. He sighed and rubbed his face. "How long will that be?"

"Well, considering that the rumors of him being a conceded alchemy frea-," he cut off as he got a dark look from Roy. "Researcher," he inserted carefully. "And that he doesn't care for his only family, it might take a while."

"No," Roy said, narrowing his eyes at his mug. "It might be sooner than that. He cares for his money, but his daughter as well. She's hiding something that Hawkeye doesn't want anyone else to know."

A silence enveloped the room except for the creaking of the ship parts. His mind wandered back to when they first kidnapped the woman to the ship. The look and response he got from her when she was bleeding; it was an unnatural reaction. Most would just be surprised then get some assistance, but she completely closed off from him as soon as the blood…burning blood touched him. Burning? Since when did blood burn?

A knock snapped him out of his trance. "It's me, Captain. I have the status information about the coordinates."

Roy sighed and set down his mug. "Come in."

Havoc stepped through the door with a scroll of parchment tucked under his arm while a cigarette hung from his mouth. "You haven't drowned yourself in beer yet? Another surprise there."

Roy scowled as he sat down. "Shut up and take that out of your mouth, you're going to kill us all."

"Yeah, yeah," Havoc sighed as he took out his cigar and put it out by dropping it in Hughes's drink. The spectacled man glared at him and pushed his beer away. "So, the coordinates are almost finished; Fuery just got buzzed real badly from a spiked drink as a prank from Breda, so he'll probably work on it the day after tomorrow." He unrolled the beige colored parchment onto the table and gestured with his hand. "Half the land of where we just departed from is almost finished, and the land farther west is already written in."

Roy nodded. "Alright, thanks Havoc. You may go now."

The young man smirked and got up, heading to the door before he paused halfway through. He popped his head in with a glint in his eye. "You know, I talked to Riza during dinner," He winked. "She's a keeper. Soon, you'll be seeing your crewmates flying themselves at her confessing their undying love for her. Or," he had a pondering expression on his face. "They'll just fly themselves at her, literally. See yah Captain!"

The door shut with a hasty 'click' and Roy averted his eyes away from his friend who was giving him a sly grin. "So," the father drawled out. "What did Havoc mean by 'She's a keeper'?" A smug grin appeared on his face. "Does wittle Roy have a wittle crush on the Duchess? Scandalous!"

Roy gave him a deathly glare before abruptly standing up. "If you weren't married to Gracia, I'd think you were a girl, Hughes. Actually, thinking that you're a girl comes much more often to me than it should be. Creepy." He stalked out of the door with the satisfaction of hearing Hughes spit out a fury of curses.

Roy yawned as he approached the deck, but stopped as he saw another figure leaning on the railing. The cold, musty wind blew through, blowing the golden tendrils away from the person's face as she turned to face the approaching Captain with a bewildered expression.

-----

_Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak_

Winry twitched awake as the moan of the wooden planks tinkered into her bedroom. She perked her ears up for another sound, but none came. Deciding that it was the wind, she buried herself into her pillows again.

_Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak _

This time, Winry picked up her head and blearily looked around her room. Glancing around, she narrowed her eyes at her now ajar door, light from the lanterns seeping into her room. Sighing, she uncurled from her position on her bed, flung her covers off, and stalked to her door tiredly. This was strange; she was sure that she locked it before she went to sleep. Shrugging tiredly to herself, she shut the door and locked it before flinging her self onto her bed once more, sighing contently.

However, she couldn't sleep.

Several minutes passed by and she tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position. There was a nagging feeling that something wasn't right in that room, but she didn't know why. Huffing, she finally just flipped over, her arm whipped onto something bushy at her right side.

"OUCH!"

Did bushes scream?

Winry popped her eyes open and screeched, but was quickly muffled by a hand. Flailing her hands, she reached under her pillow that was behind her and grasped her wrench before whipping it down on her intruder. A familiar _clunk_ and a muffled holler resounded through her ears.

The intruder finally spoke. "Wait, wait! I'm not a bad guy!"

Winry's hand froze and she stopped squirming before blinking and adjusting her eyes to the darkness to find a familiar set of gold eyes and blonde hair. A moment passed before Ed made sure she was calm and then released her jaw. "It's just me!" He whispered frantically.

Winry blinked and then her eye twitched. "What do you mean you're not a bad guy? This place is full of greedy pirates, and you're one of them who just sneaked in here, you…you…you molester!"

Edward's face turned pink as he grumbled, "I'm not here to…_molest_, you. I'm here to make a deal."

Silence.

Winry narrowed her eyes suspiciously before sitting up straightly. "First, get off my bed," she said, and then promptly shoved him off onto his back on the floor. "Second, what deal are you talking about?"

Ed groaned. "Fourth time today I was knocked down, damn." He slowly sat up and rubbed his head. "Alright, here's my proposal. Lend me your automail arm, and since you're so damned curious all the time, I'll tell you _anything_ and at anytime of what you want to know."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because besides Mrs. Hughes, I'm the only one who's willing to help you _survive_ on this ship. I have connections."

She seemed to ponder this for a minute before replying. "What if your captain was to order you to kill me? What would you do?"

Ed blinked confusedly before answering. "I'd give you your arm back before I'd throw you in the waters."

Winry sighed. Well, at least she would get her arm back before she went down under. "I'll give you the arm," Winry paused as she saw Ed's face lighten up. "If," his face fell. "You stop being so short-tempered. You're like a tiny time bomb."

Edward kept a calm façade, but internally, he was mentally throwing her overboard. Sighing and counting to ten, he pursed his lips before speaking. "Fine, but as long as you keep that wrench of yours away from my head."

"We have ourselves a deal. When do you want the arm?"

"Now would be nice; I honestly don't want to fall from the watchtower again by climbing with my teeth."

Winry nodded and then held out her hand. Ed looked at her confused. "What?"

"We should at least start new because I'm making a deal with a pirate-which is kind of like making a deal with the devil. So," She pointedly looked at her hand. "My names Winry Rockbell."

Ed stared at her hand before shrugging and clasping her palm. "Edward Elric, here is to us making a truce."

--------

"What are you doing up here?"

"I should be asking you the same question."

Roy snorted and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Hughes was being a girl."

"…I'm not even going to ask." Riza turned back to the ship's edge, staring up at the rain clouds rolling in. The light, drizzling rain made her hair stick against her face and the waters seemed to look even more ominous than before.

Roy slowly walked to the railing as well, standing a few feet away. Both postures were tense in the shadows, neither wanting to break the silence first.

Roy then sighed and looked up. "You shouldn't be out here; the men are coming up soon to get ready for the storm. It won't be pretty."

Riza kept a cool face. "I've seen worse." She glanced at him.

"The rain will pelt your skin, maybe making bruises."

"Try getting stabbed by needles by your maids when getting dressed."

"You'll get sick."

I've had food poisoning before; nothing could be worse than having induced vomiting every hour."

"Hit by lightning."

"I was almost married to the Duke; shocker."

"Stubborn, aren't you?"

"I always have been."

Roy chuckled as did Riza and turned to her. "You didn't answer my question; what are you doing up here?"

Riza turned halfway to him. "It was too crowded down in the galley. I couldn't think clearly down there."

"May I ask what you were thinking?"

She didn't answer for a moment. "I was thinking how long Winry and I would survive on this ship."

Roy looked at her in disbelief. "You were there when I ordered the men to stay away from you; why on earth would you think that?"

Riza sighed and crossed her arms. "We've come from a high society part of the world, nothing that has to do with adventures on the sea," she explained. "Not once has something like this happened before to us, ones that were raised to be courteous and spit on the lower classes. We basically don't know anything about the rest of the world, how are we going to survive? I'm worried for Winry; she's still young and this would surely seem traumatic to her."

Roy irritably ruffled his head. "You're the one who's being kept as a ransom and you're worried for your friend? You're the one who wasn't raised right." He cringed at the death glare he received. "Nothing will happen to you. If any of my men were to try anything funny, I'd throw them overboard, you can count on that."

She scrutinized him closely. "And what about you? What makes you different from any of them?"

He didn't answer.

"I've been told stories of pirates," she noted as she turned her back to him "Some only think of adventure and charge full speed ahead into unknown dangers, while others blinded by greed and use their status to achieve titles, money, and women. I'm not exactly making assumptions, but from what I've heard about you, you're probably the latter." She shook her head. "I'm not sure whether to trust you or not."

Suddenly, she was spun around and Roy's eyes fiercely met her own, strong emotions sparking in his gaze. He spoke in a harsh, gruff tone. "I am nothing like them," he said, his grip tightening on her arm. "I have my own reasons to why I became of what I am now, none that should concern you. How would a woman that lived all her life in a high society world understand what I'm doing? One who lived with no problems and filthy rich off of her father, and one who had never been in this kind of situation? You're right, how would someone like you survive on this ship? But even so, I'm not that kind of person." He glared at her before looking away.

"Hypocrite."

Roy turned back to her, anger flickering on his face. "What?"

Riza glared back at him. "I agree with you on some parts, but you don't understand anything either! How would you know what _I_ had to go through living in that damned place I call home? You think I actually liked being locked away in a palace that wouldn't let me do a goddamn thing, not even letting me see my own friends? No! They decided _everything_ for me and my life was hell," She hissed at him. "And what were you saying about how would someone like me survive on this ship? Honestly, this is your fault! You were the one who brought me here! Not that kind of person? You kidnapped me for your popularity status, something that a _greedy_ pirate would do! So whatever you do, _don't_ talk like you know me or what I've been through, _Captain_."

They didn't move, only staring at each other with bitterness. The rain blew harder, whipping their hair around. When one blinked, Riza jerked her arm away from him and hissed. The man's grip had been too tight, so when he had let go the blood began to circulate again. Problem was, it was the exact spot where her bandaged wound was-which was still not fully healed. She grasped her arm and turned away as she winced, hoping that the ebony-haired man would not notice.

He noticed.

Roy's facial expression seemed to soften as he grasped her arm gently but sternly, pushing the sleeve back as he brought it to his side. The blood was seeping through, and seemed to glow through the midnight black mist. With his gloved hand, he moved to remove the bandage. He didn't notice Riza's horrified eyes watching his every move and then widened when they reached for the gauze. "Don't!" She quickly tried to swat his hand away, but she was too late; he had reached the blood with his alchemic gloved hand.

Contact- the one thing she never wanted with an alchemist; especially when the contact is with a transmutation circle.

They both jumped as a sudden booming noise rang through the air along with a flash of red. Quickly turning, they looked to the right of the ship to see that a flame had burst through on the railing of the ship, but was slowly dilapidating because of the rain. Shock buzzed through them, especially Roy. He wasn't even thinking about his alchemy, so why did a sudden burst of fire-.

Roy turned to the blonde woman whose eyes were widened at the sight. "You're-"

He was cut off as a clap of thunder resounded through the air and the rain blew even harsher. He distinctly heard footsteps, but when he heard a door slam open, he hesitantly turned away from the woman. Hughes was gesturing wildly with his arm, telling a crowd of crewmen to follow him to their stations quickly. The spectacled man turned to Roy as soon as the men were positioned and hollered over the thundering rain. "The storms here! The worst we've seen yet! What are your orders, captain?!"

--------

_Squeak_

"How many times have you done this before?"

"I've been doing this my entire life, so quit squirming." _Squeak_

Ed humphed but stopped moving. Currently, the young man was on the bed with his half arm outstretched besides him. Winry was attaching the automail arm to his own. Knobs squeaked as they were turned and small sparks were made as the wires connected.

Winry looked up as she heard the rain pattered harder. "Do storms like these happen often?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah, it's kind of difficult for Mustang to deal with. Being an alchemist who uses fire isn't the greatest thing to use in rain. Pretty useless."

"Uh huh."

The rain began blowing harder, and the creaking of the ship grew louder. Winry twisted a final knob before leaning back and wiping her forehead with her arm. She froze as she heard something closely sounding like…

Winry quickly shoved her wrench in her box and shut it quickly, alarming Edward. "Someone's coming!"

Ed raised a brow in confusion. "So? What's the problem?"

"Well having a half naked man in my room would surely make your crewmates have a lot of misunderstood implications! Now hide!"

"Wha- Gah!" He was cut off as Winry flipped the bed covers, rolling him off the bed with a _thump_. She quickly nudged him hard and he quietly groaned as he made his way under her bed. The footsteps were coming closer and louder, so she had little time to think. Quickly, she sat herself on the floor along with the covers of her bed. Frantically twisting the covers around her into disarray, she ruffled her hair and slapped her cheeks.

The door opened and Gracia peeked inside, her brown hair shining in the light as she looked at the frazzled girl on the floor confusedly. "Winry?"

"Oh…" She muttered, her eyes wandering everywhere but Gracia's face. "Hey…"

"Why are you on the floor?"

"Oh, well, I...uh…rolled off…my bed…?" Her stuttering sentence sounded like a question, but the brown-haired woman seemed to buy it.

Gracia nodded and grimaced. "You could hear the storm, right?"

Winry nodded as she heard a clap of thunder. "How's it going with the people above?"

"It's harsh, Maes told me to stay here until it goes over. I'm worried though, I haven't seen Riza anywhere."

Winry's eyes widened. "What?! She can't be out there, can she?!"

Gracia sighed, discomforted. "I'm not sure; the Captain would have surely moved her to the lower decks, but I could be wrong."

Winry's brows knitted together in worry. "Oh, I hope she's alright."

Gracia smiled comfortingly at the young woman. "She will," She then smiled wickedly. "The captain's with her, and I bet he won't let anything happen to her," she said before turning. "Oh, I forgot. Have you seen Edward? I haven't heard from him in a while, and his brother is getting worried."

Winry subtly tensed before shaking her head. "Nope, not at all. I'll tell his brother if I see him though."

Gracia sighed again and then nodded. "Sleep well, Winry." The door shut with a soft _click_.

Winry squeaked as Ed rolled out from under the bed, lifting himself up. Brushing himself off of lint, he pulled his shirt back on. "She's probably up there."

"Huh?"

"Seeing as they're both stubborn as mules, your friend is most likely wanting to prove herself of something by staying up there.

Winry thought for a moment before scrunching her face in horror. "_Or_," she stressed quickly. "That wound of hers is making her even more distressed."

"But that was a tiny wound."

Winry shook her head. "You don't know her, Ed. When we were little, Riza got hurt and then got a fever from her injury. It was horribly serious, but she recovered. Only thing is, that time was like a traumatic experience for her. So whenever she gets hurt, she either gets over it or gets seriously ill."

"Why don't you think that she won't get over it this time?"

"First off, the past day had been too…unbelievable for her, and second," she pointed up. "It's raining."

----------

"Hold it steady, Havoc! This is our only chance to loose those damned military guards!" Roy shouted as he held down a mast string. The wind was blowing viciously as well as the rain as the Captain struggled with the sails. It didn't make it easier that Mother Nature was slapping him in the face. Thunder clapped repeatedly and the men flustered around shouting words and doing their best to keep the ship steady.

Havoc grimaced as lightning hit struck above them. "AYE, CAPTAIN. There's a problem, though!"

Roy whipped his head and glared at him. "What are you talking about?!"

Havoc jerked his head to the side. "Fuery's gonna go overboard."

Roy turned back to his crewmate and sure enough, the young man was sliding everywhere due to the water on the deck. "FUERY! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!"

However, his supposedly-helpful words only made him loose his footing and began to double over the railing. He squeaked as his feet hovered off of the deck and began to fall over the edge. "FUERY!"

A looped rope flew out in the harsh winds, but surprisingly, Fuery plummeted through the hole as the rope tightened around his torso. He bounced back and forth over the ships edge as he dangled in the air, his face white as a ghost. The man squinted up to see his savior's foot's heel grind down onto the railing as the person tightened the rope into a thick knot. Riza looked over the edge and called down to him. "Just stay there and you'll be fine!" Once she was satisfied that the knot would hold, she scurried to Hughes's side who was waving her over to help with another set of ropes.

Havoc smirked at Roy. "Looks like a saved man!"

"Looks like shark bait to me." He muttered. As he turned back to his duty, he noticed Donovan near Hughes and Riza crouching down with a rope in his hands, hitting a nail down onto the end of the rope into the deck. Realizing what he was doing, he hollered to a crewmate to take his ropes. As soon as he was free, he made a mad dash to Donovan. "You fool! What are you thinking?! The nail won't hold with this kind of wind! It'll-"

It was too late.

The harsh winds and rain grew even more rapid as a good-bye wave, tearing through the air and the nailed down ropes. The ropes tore the nail out of the deck and flew back, flying between crowds of men who were struggling through the storm.

Then, it made its mark.

On the back of a shoulder.

Of a familiar blonde.

The storm gave a final thundering clap as Riza Hawkeye fell to the ground with a nail lodged into the back of her shoulder.

**A/N: -Sighs-. I'm not sure about you people, but I loved this chapter. **

**Running away from the military; oh love the irony.**

**Reviews are welcome! **


	5. Author's Note: Read Please

Hey it's me!

I know that I haven't updated in a long time - like…watching a flower grow. But to some people that could be entertaining.

Anyways, my computer has been infected with virus's. To be more exact: about 25 of them.

SO:

It won't turn on anymore

Because it won't turn on anymore, I can't really do anything.

If you're wondering how I'm able to post this, it's because I'm on my sister's laptop.

I'll do my best to update my stories -although the ones I were currently typing were most likely destroyed- on my sister's laptop. But it may take a while because she's mostly on it.

So this was just a heads up.

Don't give up on me! :D


	6. To My Readers

So….…..I'm alive…..

Alright straight to the point. It's been about 3-4 years since I've last written/updated any of my stories, and I sincerely apologize for having my readers wait for so long to just hear whether or not if I'll continue or discontinue my stories.

So here's my explanation/reason for not having responded for so long; I've lost interest in FMA. I don't have the motivation for FMA series, even after Brotherhood came out – which I loved – but my love for Royai isn't as strong as it was anymore. I've moved on from my Royai period, and I've found new interests.

I'm still in school, and this year is the most stressful and tiring of all other years. It's only recently that I've thought seriously about fanfiction and my stories, so I've made a decision.

**All stories will be on hiatus. **

I should've put my stories on hiatus a long time ago to keep you, the readers, from wondering and questioning.

If you; my readers, are still interested in my stories and wish to see the ending of TFB and SFSL, I will continue them. Even if you aren't as interested anymore, I will still continue. Though, it'll take some time for me to actually get a spark of motivation and to reread my stories, and think of an ending you will be pleased with. I will write – maybe rewrite – my stories all at once, and update them weekly. Though, I won't update this month.

So if you are still interested in my stories, please bear with me for a little longer, and I am grateful to all of my readers who have stayed and supported my stories for so long.

TFB and SFSL will be my last on FanFiction.

I will do my best to update with the next chapters.

Sorry if this sounds like a blog entry, but it's my obligation to tell my readers what will happen in the next year :]

See you soon!


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